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Eric Weiner

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World Paperback – January 5, 2009

by Eric Weiner (Author)

930 ratings

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Part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is.

Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy?

In a unique mix of travel, psychology, science and humor, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

Print length

345 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Twelve
Publication date

January 5, 2009
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.88 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

044669889X
ISBN-13

978-0446698894
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"With one single book, Eric Weiner has flushed Bill Bryson down a proverbial toilet, and I say that lovingly. By turns hilarious and profound, this is the kind of book that could change your life. The relationship between place and contentment is an ineffable one, and Weiner cuts through the fog with a big, powerful light. The Geography of Bliss is no smiley-face emoticon, it's a Winslow Homer."
―Henry Alford, author of Municipal Bondage and Big Kiss

"Part travelogue, part personal-discovery memoir and all sustained delight, this wise, witty ramble reads like Paul Theroux channeling David Sedaris on a particularly good day..... Fresh and beguiling."

―Kirkus Reviews

"Laugh. Think. Repeat. Repeatedly. If someone told me this book was this good, I wouldn't have believed them."―Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do With My Life?

"Think Don Quixote with a dark sense of humor and a taste for hashish and you begin to grasp Eric Weiner, the modern knight-errant of this mad, sad, wise, and witty quest across four continents. I won't spoil the fun by telling if his mission succeeds, except to say that happiness is reading a book as entertaining as this."―Tony Horwitz, author of Confederates in the Attic

About the Author

Eric Weiner is author of the New York Times bestseller The Geography of Bliss, which has been translated into eighteen languages. A former correspondent for NPR and the New York Times, Weiner has reported from more than three dozen countries. His work has appeared in the New Republic, Slate, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the New York Times Magazine, and the anthology, Best American Travel Writing. He divides his time between Starbucks and Caribou.

Read more about Eric Weiner at www.ericweinerbooks.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve; Reprint edition (January 5, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 345 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 044669889X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446698894
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.88 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #28,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #78 in Travelogues & Travel Essays
- #96 in Travel Writing Reference
- #171 in Self-Help & Psychology Humor

Customer Reviews:
930 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		67%
4 star		19%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

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The Geography of Bliss

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

Weiner has always been in search of elusive happiness. And his work as a journalist often took him to places that weren't so happy. So he decides to do a different kind of investigation, he wants to look at countries that are ranked high in happiness (and some that aren't) and determine what is going on there.

In this book he recounts his visits to several countries, like Iceland, Bhutan, India, Moldova, and others. While there he talks to various people or visits sites to learn about their happiness and why they think they are as happy as they are (or aren't). He also partakes in some of the activities the countries are known for to judge his own happiness while at the locale.

Overall, I think this is an interesting book. The choices he made to visit and the rationale behind them seem solid enough, and I enjoyed his descriptions. That being said though, they're just glimpses. I think in order to truly live or understand happiness at these places, it might take more than just a few weeks. It's still an engaging effort though.

Interesting read and definitely not your normal travel book. Instead of fixating on sites and sights, it's more about the interaction with the people and their feelings.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

K. Finley

Lost me when author focused on prostitution in first chapter

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021

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Readers were forewarned that the author was a curmudgeon and I was fine with that. But, it was his very narrow scope in the first chapter about the Netherlands that turned me off completely. He focused on drugs, prostitution, and biking as the sole source of everything Dutch. Then, there was the horrible statement that "All the great philosophers are from Western Europe." With that, I was done.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Wanderlust

"Researchers have found that people, sane people at least, rarely smile when alone."

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

I guess this book made me insane cause I smiled and laughed a lot while I read it. I was also amused while reading some of the negative reviews. People actually read this book thinking it would answer the age old question of what is happiness. That's not what you'll find. However the author's vast knowledge of both centuries old and modern day literature, art, and science on the subject is impressive.

It's a good, light read, intelligent and witty. It's critics seem to be those that expected him to explore every aspect of every culture he visited and come to profound conclusions. Instead he engages the reader with a breadth of knowledge on the studies of happiness, while making humorous cultural observations, and interviewing a wide scope of humans to get their observations on happiness.

43 people found this helpful

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Madeline

A fun trip around the world

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2019

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I love travel, love happiness, but am not much of a self-help person. With two small kids at home I missed traveling, and thought this would be a nice book to read in my down-time. I enjoyed the stories of the different places, and “a grump’s” view of happiness. I found myself looking up pictures of each of the places to see what they look like.

In summary, it was an enjoyable book. A few of the sections were a bit long, but overall I’d recommend it.

P.S. I want to travel to Iceland now.

9 people found this helpful

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RRay

I've Gifted this Book SEVERAL times

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

I cannot rave loudly enough about this book. Truly changed my life in a time where I was searching for meaning. It is hilarious. It is deep. It gives glances into cultures and ideas that many may not experience. I have given this book to multiple friends as gifts, and then all my other friends have heard me quote passages from it like this is the bible. Two thumbs up!

11 people found this helpful

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asweet1

For travelers as much as those interested in the science of happiness!

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

I really liked this book but buyer beware: I’d give it 4 stars if you want a book only about what makes people happy. However, I gave it 5 stars for an overall great read that is part travel guide as well as being a study of happiness. If you like to travel you will love this book, Eric does a fantastic job combining the science you can read about with the human experience you can only get from being there.

15 people found this helpful

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PW

Thought provoking for those who are seeking and those who have found bliss

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

I'm a perpetually happy person. I also love data and research. So this book seemed like it would be an easy read. And it was. But in slow bites. I wanted to savor each country, ponder the quotes from people all around the world who think (or don't think) about happiness.

The writing style made this especially enjoyable. Travel the world with Eric and find out what happiness means to you.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Diamonds

Unorthodox approach to define happiness, both humorous and thought-provoking

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

O M G: did not have that good a laugh in reading for a long time. What a wonderful sense of humor ! Don't understand the negative reviews, except for the fact that people maybe take themselves a little too seriously (or are just too grumpy)? And I'm glad I don't know 'Bryson' either ! I try to ration myself to a chapter / country a day. Would definitely read thru on an intercontinental flight. Combine an unorthodox approach to a search for what make people happy (clarification; not necessarily the author himself !!), with a knack for humor to immediately disarm the potential seriousness and possible pretense of the search, and you go page by page, from observation to observation, stopping at a thought, pretty much like the tasting of a good wine, but a different one all the time. He happens to visit a country I'm well familiar with because of my being born and growing up there, and I can tell you, Eric Weiner totally cracks me up, and if you read between the lines, gets it right at the same time, somehow ! Trying to define what 'Happiness' might mean in each case, and by adding the various perspectives up, allows the reader to explore the subject with him, at every step along the way. Scepticism is immediately balanced with relativity and humor, and the realization that he needs to keep himself 'open' and 'floating' in his search. I could go on and on, but will not; see for yourself; this book is so hilariously well-written, that it can induce the very state it is trying to define, in the reader ! Enjoy !

16 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Rebecca Wemyss

Must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

Absolutely loved this book, it made me fall in love with non-fiction and also inspired me to travel to Bhutan. The premise of researching happiness is fascinating and the author writes extremely well balancing facts and opinions in an entertaining way. Highly reccommend for anyone who loves travel, psychology or culture.

One person found this helpful

veggie girls

Wonderful book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

what an excellent read...i'd save it for my luxurious bath night, and chuckle away as I soaked. Such a great exploration into happiness, what it is and how we seek/achieve it in our unique ways across the globe. I often give up on books, so this was a rarity that I stick with it and enjoyed looking forward to coming back to the next chapter.

Customer

Funny and insightful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book. Lots of interesting facts about different countries and cultures and how the concept of happiness is perceived. Good read and funny.

JMay

Loved this.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

Brilliant book. The author really gives a good insight into every country that he visits, rather than just sticking strictly to his 'scientific' premise. Only gave him 4 stars instead of 5 because he's strangely harsh on the British- we're really not as gloomy as he makes out!

One person found this helpful

Al

Hilarious book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

Brilliant book - often makes me laugh out loud! Easy to dip in and out of the discrete chapters too. Highly recommended!